1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rotary crop balers and, more particularly, to a rotary baler having a clean-out assembly disposed within a chamber adjacent the bale forming chamber for removing crop material from the apparatus which inadvertently enters the chamber during baling.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In an apparatus for forming large round bales of crop material, it is known to provide a frame having a pair of side walls and a number of rollers extending between the side walls and adapted to accommodate a plurality of parallel bale forming belts which together define a continuous web. This web extends along a travel path trained about the rollers and circumscribing a bale forming chamber and at least one additional chamber adjacent the bale forming chamber.
During a baling operation, the path followed by the web within the frame of the baler changes in dependence upon the size of the bale in the forming chamber such that the size of the forming chamber grows while the additional chamber is reduced in size. Because the web is typically defined by a plurality of spaced side-by-side belts, during this expansion of the forming chamber some crop material delivered to the chamber gets between the belts and falls into the additional chambers adjacent the forming chamber.
Numerous problems are created as a result of the accumulation of crop material in the additional chamber. For example, because of the orientation of the web about the rollers in the baler, most of the rollers are disposed within the additional chamber and must be permitted to make continuous gripping contact with the belts in order to carry out movement of the belts along the travel path of the web. However, when crop material is permitted to accumulate within the additional chamber, the material gets caught in the rip formed between the belts and any rollers located near the lower end of the chamber, and the cooperation between the belts and rollers is adversely effected.
Further, when crop material is permitted to become interposed between the rollers and at least some of the belts, it is possible that the belts will move in a direction along the length of the rollers relative to the other belts and will perhaps overlap adjacent belts thus creating larger gaps through which crop material may escape the bale forming chamber.